Councilman Tommy Wells alleges GameStop buys stolen phones

By Tom Roussey
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A spokesperson for a popular video game store is strongly denying allegations from a DC Councilman that it likely has bought hundreds of stolen phones.

In a tweet,Tommy Wells -- who is considering a run for mayor -- wrote: "GameStop stores incld Pa Av SE and H NE found to have 100s of used cell phones. All likely stolen from DC residents, #unbelievable."

Smart phone thefts have been a big issue in the district over the last year or so.

Wells told ABC7 he got his information from a police crime briefing he attended that included Police Chief Cathy Lanier.

A spokesperson for GameStop told ABC7 by phone that they "did an internal investigation, and there is absolutely no truth to this."

The spokesperson said that the store has security measures in place to try to make sure it does not buy stolen phones.

Sean Murphy of Southeast sold his phone to the store and says he saw some of those security measures.

"I sold my cell phone to them," Murphy said. "They checked the registration number and all that stuff."

ABC7 asked for an interview with Wells. He said after tweeting out the information he was asked by the Metropolitan Police not to elaborate further so as not to hinder any investigation.

On Monday, MPD would not say if there was any investigation into GameStop. A spokesperson sent ABC7 a statement from Lanier that reads: "In today's Crime Briefing, we discussed locations where people can sell used cell phones and the Game Stop is one of those locations . The Metropolitan Police Department works closely with retailers and local businesses to ensure they are not unknowingly purchasing stolen items."